1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to water harvesting systems of different scales and their use in creating a community using sport as a catalyst and based on the ability to provide access to water.
2. Description of Related Art
Various documents presently exist that describe arrangements relating to rainwater collection. The ATOPIA RESEARCH Inc. document titled Pitch Africa: A Project by ATOPIA Research (September 2008), for example, discloses a network of artificial watersheds and aquifers and mentions the use of four different scales of rainwater capturing devices, including a small single container cistern, a larger two container cistern, a matrix of containers under a street soccer tournament venue, and a full rainwater harvesting soccer field.
The ATOPIA RESEARCH Inc. document titled PITCH_AFRICA LOG 2.1, CISTERN_X (January-June 2009) describes a single twenty foot long shipping container, a lightweight hinged frame to form a rainwater harvesting hood, and a textile envelope.
The ATOPIA RESEARCH Inc. document titled PITCH_AFRICA LOG 2.2, CISTERNS THAT DO OTHER THINGS (January-June 2009) describes two twenty foot long shipping containers that combine to store a minimum of 60,000 liters (15,850 gallons) of water annually.
The ATOPIA RESEARCH Inc. document titled PITCH_AFRICA LOG 2.3, STREET SOCCER VENUE (January-June 2009) describes an arrangement for using the single container cistern (Log 2.1), the two-container cistern (Log 2.2), and a matrix of containers under a street soccer tournament venue and a full size soccer field.
The ATOPIA RESEARCH Inc. document titled PITCH_AFRICA LOG 3, 3.2 SPECIAL CONTAINERS (April-June) describes various types of specially fitted out shipping containers that make possible the provision of services in areas without basic amenities.
The ATOPIA RESEARCH Inc. document titled PITCH_AFRICA LOG 3, 3.2 FURNITURE (April-June) describes a modular system of tables and stools using components with certain geometric configurations.
Water collection is a worldwide problem. According to the World Health Organization, 1.1 billion people in the world lack proper drinking water, and 5 million people, 2 million of whom are children, die from drinking unsafe water each year. The World Health Organization further estimates that 80% of all sickness in the world is due to unsafe water and poor hygiene, and that 4000 children die every day due to drinking unsafe water. It is estimated that by 2025, 48 countries will be facing water shortages. At least 22 of those countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. By 2050, water scarcity will affect at least 2 billion people; in the worst-case scenario, water scarcity will affect 7 billion people in 60 countries.
In Africa, more than 420 million people do not have access to clean water and are without an improved water supply. In rural Africa, women often walk ten miles or more every day to fetch water. In the dry season, it is not uncommon for women to walk twice this distance, only to arrive at a water source that is a dirty and polluted health hazard. Women often have to wait in turn to collect water, as well as travelling such long distances. Such waiting times can add five hours to the journey. Many traditional water sources dry out for several months each year, and it can take up to an hour for one woman to fill her bucket. To avoid such long waits, many women get up in the middle of the night to get to the water source when there is no queue. This adds to the dangers of the journey, which can frequently result in accidents. It is not uncommon for women and children to be spending 8 hours a day in the process of collecting water. The UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) estimates that 40 billion working hours are lost each year in Africa carrying water, causing “water poverty,” which affects mostly women and children, who are unable to go to school as they often help their mothers collect water or work at home, in place of their mothers, while their mothers travel to collect water. For hundreds of millions of the rural poor in Africa, agriculture is the key to both their escape from poverty and their development. Without water, agricultural development in much of sub-Saharan Africa is severely constrained. People in the developing world need to have access to good quality water in sufficient quantity, water purification technology, and availability and distribution systems for water.
In the 1980s, declared “The International Decade of Water” by the UN, an assumption was made that groundwater was an inherently safer water source for communities than surface water (rivers, ponds, canals, and so on), and that this shift in focus would reduce problems such as cholera. Surface water is especially susceptible to problems of pollution and evaporation, making the extraction of groundwater, which is relatively protected from bacteriological contamination and evaporative loss, coupled with the relative ease of tapping into a water supply at the point of need, very attractive. As a result, people have come to rely increasingly on the digging of wells and the drilling of boreholes as the mainstay of water development and the most popular way of supplying water to people in small communities. It is increasingly understood, however, that boreholes can be extremely problematic.
Borehole drying is a worldwide issue that needs serious attention. It has been reported that about 250,000 boreholes have been constructed for use in Africa, and that, according to the World Health Organization, it is estimated that 60% of these boreholes are broken or have run dry. In Mali, it is estimated that 90% of the boreholes cease to function within a year after construction. As reported in Mali, lack of confidence on the sustainability of boreholes has made women prefer surface water. Similar reports have been received from South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, and many other African countries. While groundwater supplies have reduced problems with bacteriological contamination, they can have serious problems with toxicity caused by salinity or high levels of fluoride. Individuals in communities that continue to choose to drink surface water as a matter of preference frequently dislike the taste of borehole water.
In many instances, boreholes are drilled into aquifers containing water millions of years old that cannot be replenished. Once depleted, these water resources are gone. In general, pumping in excess of any aquifers recharge rates results in the lowering of groundwater levels. In coastal areas, excessive pumping can also cause the intrusion of saline water. Improper borehole construction can result in the borehole blocking water transmission from the aquifer. Problems with clogging of filter media and the slots of the screen pipes are also widespread. The persistent failures of community-based maintenance programs are also a significant factor in borehole failure. Boreholes are usually community owned, and are typically handed over to the community by the government or NGO after a drilling project is complete. It is usual practice to train local personnel to maintain, manage, and repair the boreholes. However, population densities in rural areas are relatively low, which means that there are seldom enough boreholes in a region to provide sufficient work for a trained mechanic. Additionally most communities lack the technology and funds to carry out such technical work.